Method of and means for slicing tubular articles



Dec 27, 1927.

A. F. THENER METHOD OFAND MEANS FOR SL'ECING TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed Oct.25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l VE/VTOR H, F. TH5 NEE.

A TTOP/YEY.

Dec. 27, 1927. I 1,654,021

A. F. THENER METHOD OF AND MEANS FORSLICING TUBULAR ARTICLES Filed 001;.25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 27, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUBE. THEINER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0. CUPPLES COMPANYMANU- FACTURERS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SLICIN G TUBULAR ARTICLES.

Application filed October 25, 1926. Serial No. 143,828.

This invention relates to a method of and means for slicing tubulararticles, and especially to the slicing of flexible tubular articles.

h Prior to this invention, cured rubber tubes have been stretched onto amandrel and held there by frictio due to the contraction of theonto themandrel and the removal of the I w stretched rings formed by slicing thetube. Furthermore, the rings formed under such conditions are notuniform in thickness.

One of the objects of the present invention is to eliminate thestretching operation, and to more firmly secure the flexible tube on themandrel. This enables the tube to be more easily placed on the mandreland also eliminates the difficulty of removing stretched rings.Moreover, since the flexible tube is very securely held andsubstantially free of tension, the slices are accurately formed toproduce uniform rings, of a predetermined thickness.

In carrying out the old method in which the rubber tube was stretchedonto a mandrel, it was customary-to usemandrels made mandrel, and thegrooving will not interfere with the operations of mounting the tube andremoving the slices.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprisesthe novel method, construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accom- Wpanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of theinvention. However, it is to be understood that the inventioncomprehends changes, variations and modifications which come within thescope of the claims hereunto appended.

Briefly stated, the apparatus herein described includes a. mandrel onwhich the flexible tube is placed and then held by suction which causesthe inner face of the tube to very firmly engage the outer face of themandrel. While the tube is thus sucked onto the mandrel, it is actedupon by a knife with a cutting edge which passes through the tube andenters into annular grooves in the mandrel. The knife is advanced stepby step to slice the tube, and upon the completion of the slicingoperations, the suction is relieved and air under pressure is forcedinto the annular grooves to release the slices from the mandrel. Sincethe slices are notunder tension, they can then be easily and quicklyremoved from the mandrel.

In the old method referred to, uncured rubber tubes could not be sliced,for the raw rubber is not very elastic and cannot be held by contractionon the mandrel. more, the centrifugal force resulting from the rapidrotation of the mandrel would instantly distort and loosen the rawrubber tube. However, in carrying out the present invention wherein thetube is sucked onto the mandrel, the desired results can be obtained inslicing either raw or cured rubber as well as various other materialsthat could not be sliced in following the old practice.

Fig. I is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying the features ofthis invention.

Fig. II is a section on a larger scale, taken on the line IIII in Fig.I, and showing a j rubber tube surrounding a mandrel on whlch the tubeis to be sliced.

Fig. III is a fra mentary longitudinal section, partly in efevation,showing the mandrel and the tube mounted thereon.

Fig. IV is an end View of the apparatus, the mandrel being shown insection. F Fig],, V is a section on the line V--V in Fig. VI is anenlarged detail view showing the reversible pawl through which motion istransmitted to the knife carriage.

A designates a hollow mandrel rotatably mounted in bearings 1 and 2, andextending from the bearing 1 to receive the article to Further- I be.sliced. The article shown is a flexible tube B, such as a rubber tubehaving a longitudinal rib 3 (Fig- II) and adapted to .cut into slices toform fruit jar rings with extended lips produced b the rib 3.

y To prevent longltudlna-l displacement of the mandrel it is providedwith collars 4 engagin the bearings 1 and 2. The mandrel exten s fromthe bearin 2, as shown in Fi I, and its, extende portion is provi edwith a stufiing box 5 to. receive a Y pipe 6 leading to a suction pump7. A

relieve t 14 in its peripheral face and restricted. ports- 15 leadingfrom the passageway 12 to said grooves.

The inner face of the rubber tube B contacts with the outer face of themandrel A but it is not necessary'to stretch the tube onto the mandrel.During the slicing op,- eration, which will be hereafter described, thevalve 10'is opened to create. a partial 12 in the mandr as well ooves 14surrounded by the flexible tube This sucks the tube onto the mandrel andsecurely holds the vacuum in the pipe 6 and consegluently in thepassagewa e-, as in the annu ar 'tubet'o prevent displacement while theman-' drel ,is rotated at a high s eed. This suction is maintainedthroug out the slicing operation in which a knife is moved step by -stepand forced throu h the rotating tube.

The cutting edge of t e knife enters into each of the successive grooves14 so as to divide the tube into thin slices ada ted for .use as fruitjarrings. At the en of the slicing operation, the valve 10 is closed toe e vacuum, and the valve 11' is o ened to admit air .under ressure intot e mandrel, thus releasing t e slices and allowing them .to be easilyremoved from the mandrel.

cover all of. the circumferential grooves in the mandrel, this is .notabsolutely necessary, for the air ports 15 are preferably so small thatthe leakage through them will not release the tube from the mandrel.This method ,of securely holding the tube by suction during the slicingo eration has the advantage of preventing isplacement of the tube on themandrel, so as-to produce smooth and uniform slices, at the same timeeliminating the difficulties and'inaccurac'ies heretofore incurred bystretching the tube onto the mandrel. In the old method, centrifugalforce was a disturbing factor, espe- II) 'communi ciall in slicing atube with a projecting rib as s own at3 in Fig. II, the tube beingrotated at a very hi h speed tending to loosen the relativel thicportion at the rib. The

- suction met od herein disclosed holds the irregular tube so firmlythat there is no -material displacement or creepage of the tube duringthe numerous cutting operations. The knife herein shown is in the formof a disk 16 having a peripheral cutting edge. It is rotatably suaportedby standards 17 extending upwardly from a plate 18 adapted toreciprocate on the top of a carria e 19, the latter having a dovetail 20(Fig. I)

to guide the plate 18. This plate supports.

an electric motor 21 which transmits a rotary motion to the knife 16 asshown most clearly in Fig. V, the motor and knife bein provided withsprocket wheels 22 whic receive a sprocket chain 23.

The carriage 19 is movable in a line arallel with the mandrel A audit isguided by means of ribs 24t'on a bed 25. The means for imparting a stepby step movement to the carriage 19 comprises a screw 26 passing througha nut member 27 (Figs. I and V) which forms art of the carriage, atoothed wheel 28 fixe to said screw, and a pawl carrier 29 adapted tooscillate on the unthreaded end of said screw. The oscillatory pawlcarrier 29 contains a spring pressed pawl 30 (Fig. engaging the toothedwheel 28 and royided with a revlersing handle 31 to s ift the awl from te e position shown by dotted lines.

When the pawl carrier 29 is oscillated, an intermittentrotary'motionlwill be imparted to the feed screw 26, so as to move theknife holder ste by step in a line parallel with the mandre A, the len hof. each step being equal to the-distance mm the center of one annulargroove 14 to the center of the next adjacent groove. When the knife iscarried to one of its extreme itions, the pawl 30 can bereversed to fthe earria in the opposite direction.

e means for forcing the knife throu h the rubber tube B is shown mostcleary While it is desirable to have the tube B in Figs. I and V. Itcomprises a rod 82 fixed to the slidable plate 18 which supports theknife, said rod havin a non eireular rtion 32' adapted to sli e in a ide83 an an arm 34 equipped with a rol er 85 engagi an eccentmc 36 whichslides on a squares aft 37. The eccentric 86 is confined between a pairof arms 38 so as to travel with the carriage 19. The function of theeccentric is to force the knife 16 through the tube to be sliced, andthis is accomplished by shifting the plate 18 on the carriage 19. This pate and the knife, supported thereon are returned by means of a spring39 (Fig. V.) interposed between position shown by full lines in Fig. VI

a collar on the rod' 32 and a shoulder in the carriage 19.

The driving mechanism comprises a motor 40 (Fig; I) provided with a gearwheel ll meshing with a gear wheel 42 on the mandrel A so as to rotatethe mandrel and the tube mounted thereon.

The means for transmitting power from the mandrel to the shaft 37comprises a gear wheel 43 on the mandrel meshing with a gear 44 on ashaft 45 provided with a pinion 46 which meshes with a gear 47, thelatter biiingin mesh with a large gear 48 fixed to one end of the shaft37.

The means for oscillating the pawl carrier 29 comprises a connectlng rod49 pivoted at one end to the wheel 48 and at the other end to the pawlcarrier, as shown in- Figs. I and IV.

The'driving mechanism advances the carriage 19 step by. step to locatethe knife 16 opposite to ,each'of the grooves 14 in the mandrel, andwhen the knife-is thus alined with a groove, the plate 18 is shifted toforce the cutting edge through the tube B and into the groove.

I claim:

1. In an ap aratus for slicing tubular ar-,

ing from said passageway to said grooves a suction device communicatingwith sai passageway to suck the tubular rubber articles onto themandrel, means for rotating the mandrel, a knife, and means whereby saidknife is forced into said annular grooves.

4. The method of making rubber rings which com rises placing a flexiblerubber tube around a mandrel, rotating the mandrel and at the same timesucking the flexible tube onto the outer face of said mandrel, andforming flexible slices by moving a rotatin knife into and out ofcontact with sai rubber tube while the slices and the remaining portionof the tube are sucked onto the rotatin mandrel. 5. The method'of maiinjar rings which comprises placin a lien 1e rubber tube around a mandrehaving annular grooves in its outer face, rotating the mandrel and atthe same'time creating a partial vacuum in the annular grooves to suckthe rubber tube onto the mandrel, and converting said rubbertube intoflexible slices by forcing a knife through the rubber tube and into theannular grooves while the slices and the remaining portion of the tubeare sucked ontothe rotating mandrel.

In ,testimon that I claim theforegoing Ihereunto m Y AR i l F. THENER.

